Winter's Blessing
by Bae Belladonna
Summary: Blake and Weiss have been together for a long time and Blake wants nothing more than to take their relationship to next level. But she has just one more person's approval she needs to again before she can even think about popping the question.


**Ahhh don't know how to write Winter. This is a little idea I had and wanted to try my hand at writing it. Here it is!**

Blake had expected Atlas to be cold, but she hadn't expected it to be this cold. Sure she has experienced the cold more than once on several different occasions, but in her mind, nothing, absolutely nothing compares to this cold.

The thin layer of ice crunches underneath her feet with every step she takes as she tries desperately to punctually yet carefully make her way inside. The last thing she needs is for anyone to hear about her busting her ass simply because she can't stand the weather.

Her ears twitch involuntarily beneath her bow as the sharp gusts of wind infiltrate her clothing against her consent. Gritting her teeth, Blake makes a last ditch effort to jog towards the main entrance and slips through the doors, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she is immediately overcome with the welcome warmth of being indoors.

Shaking the light flurry from her coat, Blake uses this time to finally take in the interior. She would be lying if she didn't think Atlas Academy just _felt_ militaristic. The way the ceilings were high and arched with the proud flag hanging ever so often. Even the students that seemed to be milling about carried themselves in such a way that just screamed they were being groomed and condition to join the military. To be honest, in a way it kind of reminded her of Beacon but in a much less comforting sort of way. At Beacon, no one was forcing you to become a Huntress.

Tearing her eyes away from the ramrod students, Blake heads towards the dainty lady sitting behind a desk just beyond the main entrance. The woman seems to be so engrossed in the book she's reading, she doesn't even notice the shivering guest that has approached.

"Ah, Miss?" the Faunus tries, clearing her throat try again when she remains unanswered. "Excuse me, Miss…?"

The woman sighs quietly, closing book as she lifts her eyes to 'greet' the intruder. "Yes…?"

"I'm actually here to meet with someone…"

Another sigh. "…what's your name."

"Blake Belladonna. I'm actually supposed to be meeting-"

"Oh!" the woman's outburst actually startles Blake a bit. Having immediately recognized the name, she quickly stands up from her desk and beckons her to follow.

Blake on the other hand is still taken aback by the droll woman's sudden change in attitude. In fact, she actually has to quicken her pace in order to keep up with her, despite the small height difference between the two of them.

"Yes, yes, of course! I'm so sorry." Desk lady chatters. "I was informed that you were to be coming sometime this afternoon. We've been expecting you."

We. "Yeah…" Blake responds, rubbing at the back of her neck as she continues to follow desk lady through the winding hallways and up the massive staircases. "I would've been here a little earlier had it not be for the delays caused by the weather."

"The weather's always like this. We hardly ever consider them delays anymore." The woman quips, coming to a large set of double doors. She pushes open one of the doors, and holds out a hand for Blake to enter before she follows suit.

Blake steps into what appears to be an observation room with a large glass window looking into a massive training room. A small smile graces her lips when she takes in the rows of children that appear to be no more than eight years old all holding practice swords in similar stances. Her eyes land on small girl at the end, much smaller than the other children, struggling to hold the position but a determined frown is evident on her face. For a brief moment, Blake often wonders if this is what her girlfriend was like when she first learned to dual.

"Oh dear, I hate interrupting." Desk lady sighs before she lightly taps on the glass, grabbing the instructor's attention. She then slips into the training room and begins explaining the situation. The woman nods towards the glass, before the instructor returns her nod and gives a command to the children in the training room. The door opens once more and Blake is met face to face with just the person she was meeting.

"Blake, it's been too long." The taller woman regards her with the faintest of smiles as she nods for her to follow.

There aren't a lot of things in this world that make Blake nervous. She hunts down Grimm for a living. She's stared death in the face multiple times and even given him a wink simply because she could. Nope, there is maybe one or two things on her list that make her list.

Winter Schnee is one of those things.

She isn't sure whether it's the older woman's intimidating stares or even her intimidating status, but being completely honest, it may have to do with the fact that she's been romantically involved with Winter's baby sister for years now. Who knows.

"So, what brings you all the way here and to see me no less?" Winter inquires, leading them down the corridors of the school before coming to her office.

"I…actually wanted to speak with you about something that's kinda important." Blake responds, still trying to work out how she's meant to do this. There needs to be some sort of handbook somewhere, honestly.

"Well I would like to think it was important since you made the trip." Winter supplies with a small eye roll as she leans against her desk. She waits a good few minutes before sighing audibly. "Honestly, if you were just going to stand there in silence you could've just opted to call."

Blake feels her ears drop slightly at the woman's words, but that doesn't deter her from continuing. _C'mon, you came here for a reason, don't fuck it up now._

"Listen Winter…I love your sister with every fiber of my being. Being completely honest, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't find myself falling more and more in love with her. She's beautiful, she has an amazing singing voice, she's an excellent fighter, and that's just to name a few things. Yeah, I'll admit, there are times where she's a bit difficult to deal with and even more difficult to live with but that's what makes Weiss well…Weiss. We've been together for years now and I don't wish to spend any of the years to come without her. Which is why I came all the way here to gain your approval on asking for her hand in marriage."

If she's at all shocked, the emotion doesn't show on Winter's face. In fact, Blake wasn't entirely sure that the woman had heard her except for the feint arch of a finely sculpted eyebrow being the only display of change in the expressionless gaze.

To whomever said silence is golden, it's not. If anything, it feels deadly.

"So, you came all the way here to ask for permission to propose to my sister." Winter states, still wearing her hard expression of neutrality. "Why?"

This response wasn't unexpected and thankfully Blake has an answer prepared. "With the way Weiss often talks about you, she seems to really value your opinion as well as your approval. I only thought it would be respectful of me to do the same."

Winter hums offhandedly as she narrows her eyes and analyzes the woman before her. Being honest with herself, it did surprise her that Weiss was seeing a Faunus when she and Blake had been first introduce a few years back. She wasn't surprised because she herself harbored any ill feelings for Faunus, but more so the fact that their father was a very strict man who couldn't have taken a liking to the relationship. None the less, Winter admires her sister's courage and is proud of her for standing up for herself. It does explain, however, why she never sees Weiss in Atlas, not that she could blame her.

Winter had taken an immediate liking to Blake, not that she would ever voice such a thing out loud for the sake of maintaining her role as the aloof older sister. She was pleased to see that her sister was seeing someone who could not only keep up with her intellectually, but also wouldn't cower away from her when she got into her moods. And Winter herself is plenty familiar with Weiss' moods.

But back to Blake. Winter has always silently wondered why the girl still chose to hide behind the ribbon. Sure, it made sense as a misguided teenager still trying to find her way in a world full of hate and prejudice, but as a full grown huntress, Winter couldn't help but be curious.

"No."

The word is spoken so suddenly and so sharply that for a brief moment, Blake thought she imagined it. "Wait, what? No?"

"No." Winter repeats casually tapping a gloved hand against her desk.

"Um...why?"

"Why do you still wear that bow?"

Okay, Blake had been prepared for 'why do you want to marry my sister' but not so much the 'why do you wear a bow'. Completely taken aback by the question, she struggles to come up with a quick response. "uh….I mean, I always wear it. I've worn it for as long as I can remember."

"I didn't ask how often you wore it, I asked _why_ you still wear it."

"Honestly? Because it makes things easier…it always has."

"And who said life was ever about-"

"It makes it easier for _Weiss_." Blake interrupts. She silently reaches up and unties the ribbon, a quiet sigh escaping her lips at the relief of being able to move her ears without restriction. "It can't be easy for a Schnee to walk down the street hand in hand with a Faunus. Even with times 'changing' some things will stay the same and I don't want her having to go through anything she doesn't have to."

At this, Winter huffs amusedly as she shakes her head. "As I was saying before I was interrupted; who said life was ever about things being easy?" she questions rhetorically, holding up a hand when Blake tries to interrupt again. "While I admire you for wanting to protect her, Weiss is a grown woman who can more than handle her own. However, I don't see any productivity in you choosing to hide and no sister of mine is going to marry a coward."

Blake feels her ears droop slightly at the word. "I just don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble." She murmurs, tightly clutching her ribbon in hand.

Winter sighs quietly and for once her voice lacks its usual hardness, instead taking one of comfort. "Blake, being in a relationship doesn't just mean forgoing your own happiness for someone else, it means also being happy and content with yourself. Love is about both people being happy. So yes, Weiss' happiness is of high priority, but yours is as well. Plus, it can't be….comfortable keeping your ears bound like that."

"Believe me it's not…" Blake responds with a mirthless chuckle. To be honest, the last person on the planet that she thought would tell her to stop hiding would be Winter Schnee of all people. It's something she's thought over for some time now, but as she's stated before, she didn't want to make things difficult for Weiss. "But you've got a point."

"Damn right I do. Honestly Blake, if she loves you enough to go against everything our father stands for, she's not going to give a damn about what anyone else thinks." Winter concludes with a small smirk. She lets silence fill the room for a brief moment before she tilts her head, smirk widening. "Did you bring the ring?"

Blake's eyes widen to about the size of dinner plates. Yes she brought it, but more so for a reminder of confidence, not to show it off. "Isn't it, uh, traditionally considered bad luck for me to show you the ring?"

Winter's smirk turns into a full on lopsided grin. "I would say that you broke tradition when you decided to ask me for approval instead of my father. So let's skip the formalities, shall we?"

"Fair point." Blake mutters before reaching into her pocket to pull out a black velvet box. To say she's starting to feel a bit self-conscious about the ring would be an understatement, despite the fact that her friends have assured her it's beautiful.

Accepting the box, Winter opens it and is slightly shocked by the ring inside. It's nothing that's extremely flashy but at the same time, the diamond is still gorgeous. "It's beautiful." She comments, snapping the slid shut. She pushes herself away from her desk and closes the distance between the slightly petrified woman in her office. She studies her for a moment before offering a genuine smile. "She's going to love it."

"Thanks." Blake breathes a sigh of relief before she quickly snaps her head up as she processes the words. "Wait…does that mean…?"

"It means I approve." Winter finishes with a nod. "I give you my blessing."

Blake's face splits into a wide excited grin. "Thank you so much!" she exclaims, moving forward to capture the taller woman in an unsuspecting squeeze. It takes a brief second for her to realize what's happened before she takes a step back and clears her throat. "Sorry…"

"It's quite alright. Besides…" Winter pauses as that same miniscule smirk from before appears once more. "We are going to be sisters after all."

"Careful Winter, I'm actually starting to think you might like me."

"Yes, well, just don't tell anyone. I do have a reputation to uphold.

* * *

It's pitch black in the dead of night when Blake finally makes it home. She silently makes her way through the apartment and isn't at all surprised when she gets to the bedroom to find a familiar body already buried underneath the blankets.

Shedding her clothes and tucking the ring back into hits hiding spot, she quickly changes and slips beneath the covers. Despite her attempts to be as silent as possible, her movements manage to rouse her partner.

"Mmm, Blake, that better be you." The sleep filled voice murmurs as its owner involuntarily snuggles into the warm embrace.

"You weren't expecting anyone else were you?" Blake chuckles quietly before pressing a light kiss to her lover's shoulder. "Go back to sleep, love. I'm sorry I woke you."

Weiss yawns audibly before she turns over and buries her face into her girlfriend's neck. "I'll sleep much better now that you're here. What took you so long?"

"Meeting ran late, that's all…"

"Mhmm…well tell me all about it in the morning."

"Will do…" Blake hums, as a yawn over her own escape her lips. Sleep quickly over takes her and her dreams are filled with the woman in her arms and their future together.

 **Reviews are much appreciated!**


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